The Dying of the Light
by VKole
Summary: Chapter 1 of a Multi Chapter Series: Ten years after Voyager's return, an old enemy comes out of the shadows and threatens the entire Alpha Quadrant. Mild JC.
1. Part 1

The Dying of the Light

Chapter 1: Echoes

Captain Joanne Patel's Personal Log, Stardate 64302.1  
  
After the Dominion war, many assumed that things would go back to the way that they were, that the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans would go back to their infighting. For a while, it looked like that was exactly what would happen, but then Voyager came back after annihilating the Borg. I had an up close view of the event as a Lt. Cmdr. on the Prometheus. I don't think anyone could of scripted a better entrance. Voyager came back with, transphasic torpedoes, ablative hull armor, and most important of all, the design of an advanced propulsion drive that they had dubbed Quantum Slipstream.  
  
If they had just classified this technology, Starfleet would have been the strongest power in this area of space for a long time to come. But Starfleet had greater ideas; they used this technology as leverage to open diplomatic relations with the Romulans and Klingons. Both the Kithmoer Accords and the Treaty of Algeron were renegotiated to make the three powers much stronger allies than they were before. The Chin'toka Accords, as they were to be known, stipulated that they would became both military and scientific allies, they would enter into a mutual defense pact and share all the technology and research that they come across. Hell, the Romulans even lifted the ban on Federation cloaking technology. Two years later, Starfleet discovered the secret behind making a stable slipstream and now every Federation, Klingon, and Romulan ship is equipped with a Quantum Slipstream drive.

Ugh, when did this log turn into a history lesson? I guess two years in the Delta Quadrant has made me a bit reflective.  
  
I can't image what it was like for Janeway, all-alone out here, not knowing if she would ever get back. As difficult as it must have been, I always envied her. The chance to explore an uncharted region of space is every Starfleet Officers dream. I believe that Janeway and I have a lot in common, we both came through on the science track, we both switched to command, and now we both have been to the Delta Quadrant. Maybe when I get back home, I'll ask her to have a cup of coffee with me.  
  
Anyways.....

We just got our new orders from Starfleet; the new Malon government has reconsidered our offer to help them convert their antimatter waste into something more useful. We have to keep an eye out for rouge waste transports trying to keep business alive. I am anxious to see Malon Prime, apparently it could give Earth a run for its money in terms of beauty.  
  
Computer, End Log.  
  
"Captain Patel to the bridge," came Ensign Archer's voice over the comm.   
  
"Report"  
  
"Captain," replied her first officer, Commander Drax, "we have a ship closing fast."   
  
"Malon?" Questioned the Captain.  
  
"Unknown, sir. I can't identify the ship; they are using technology that is fooling our sensors, " answered Lt. Roka, the Romulan science officer.  
  
"Commander Kotan, try sending a hail on all subspace channels."  
  
The tactical officers punched in the commands, "No response, Captain."  
  
"I don't like this, Commander, time to intercept?"  
  
"Two minutes forty seconds."  
  
"Go to yellow alert."   
  
"Aye Captain," replied her first officer.   
  
"Captain, the ship is in visual range," claimed the Vulcan ops officer, Ensign Toval.  
  
"On Screen."   
  
The entire bridge crew stared in horror as the view screen flickered to show an image of a massive ship shaped like a cube.   
  
"Red Alert! Mr. Kotan deploy armor and load transphasic torpedoes, Ensign Archer, evasive pattern gamma - one."  
  
"The Borg? I thought they were destroyed by Voyager," stated a perplexed Drax.  
  
"I guess not."  
  
Archer's fingers flew over the console on pure instinct as he tried to move the ship away from the monstrosity in front of them. "They are matching my course," yelled a freighted Archer.  
  
"Captain, they are hailing us."  
  
"Lets see it."  
  
A single Borg drone appeared on the viewer.  
  
"Federation vessel USS Venture, registry number NCC dash nine five two eight one, we have analyzed your defenses as being unable to withstand us. Lower your shields and prepare to be assimilated."  
  
"Captain, they've locked on a tractor beam!" Yelled Kotan.  
  
"What! Is the armor deployed?"  
  
"Yes Sir, they must have found a way to adapt."  
  
"Lock torpedoes on the source of that beam."  
  
"Torpedoes locked on."   
  
"FIRE!!"  
  
Two torpedoes whizzed out of the forward launcher of the Venture and hit the emitter square on. The beam flickered for a few seconds giving the Venture a chance to get away.  
  
"Mr. Archer, get us out of here full impulse, Mr. Toval up link with the MIDAS array. What the hell is going on, one of those torpedoes is supposed to take out an entire cube."   
  
Suddenly the ship buckled from a Borg disruptor blast.   
  
"Shields at 30%, we have lost the quantum drive and the cloak has been destroyed."  
  
Consoles started to explode and an ensign was flung across the bridge.

"Bridge to sickbay, we have casualties," called Drax as he went to attend to the ensign.  
  
The Captain yelled into her combadge, "Engineering, report!"  
  
"I need at least two days to get the quantum matrix back online," replied the frantic chief engineer.  
  
"Divert all the power you can from the matrix to the impulse engines. Mr. Kotan, remodulate the transphasic frequency of those torpedoes and fire at will."  
  
Two torpedoes fired out of the ships aft launcher and hit the cube dead on its main power generator.  
  
"Direct hit. Torpedoes had minimal effect, Borg shields are holding at 99%."  
  
Two green bolts ripped through the hull and continued through the bulkheads until they finally emerged on the opposite side of the ship. A sudden jolt ran through the bridge and one of the lose support beams toppled onto Commander Drax's prone figure.  
  
"Get him to sickbay," ordered the Captain, "Kotan, report!"  
  
"Shields at 8%, the armor is buckling, we have hull breaches on multiple decks."  
  
"Captain, the cube is jamming the uplink."  
  
"Compensate, Mr. Toval!"  
  
"Captain, If we use the deflector to open a quantum fissure, we may be able to get a partial signal through it," suggested Lt. Roka.  
  
"I'll take it. Toval!"  
  
"Aye Captain, charging main deflector. Channel open," replied Toval in his calm Vulcan voice.  
  
"This is Captain Patel of the USS Venture, we are under attack from a Borg Cube. They have adapted to our armor and our torpedoes are useless against them. The slipstream drive is offline and we are losing our shields. We are in the Malon sector, coordinates five zero one mark two eight."   
  
"Bridge to astrometrics. Is there anywhere we can hide to make repairs?"  
  
"There is a mutura class nebula five billion kilometers from our position, on a heading of three zero one, mark two" replied Lt. Persons.  
  
"Get us there Mr. Archer, as quickly as you can."  
  
"Toval, divert everything except shields to the impulse engines."   
  
"Captain, the Cube has changed course to pursue," injected Kotan.

The cube was looming larger and larger on the view screen.  
  
"Captain, Shields have failed, hull breaches on all decks!"  
  
Four green disruptor blasts fired out of the cube.  
  
"All hands, brace for impact!"


	2. Part 2

"Ten years and two months ago, the starship Voyager made its return from the Delta Quadrant. Voyager brought back with it not only information on new races and astrometric data, but also the latest in propulsion technology. The Quantum Slipstream drive has fostered a golden era of peace and scientific exploration unlike any the Alpha Quadrant has ever seen. Today, I am here to introduce you to the next generation of Quantum Slipstream technology." Admiral Kathryn Janeway hit a switch, and a large bay window opens revealing a massive starship that is at least 900m long. It looked like someone took the original Intrepid design and blew it up like a balloon. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the Voyager-A, the first in a line of Voyager class ships to contain the Mark-II Slipstream drive. The original design can make a 70,000 light year journey in eight months, the Mark-II can make the same journey in seven days." The crowd broke into excited murmurs before a voice shouted at Kathryn.  
  
"Admiral, Robert Starr of the Federation New Service, are all Starfleet ships going to be refitted with this drive?"  
  
"The Mark-II requires a significantly more power than the original drive, so right now only the Enterprise-E, a Sovereign class ship, and the Voyager class ships in development will be fitted with it. In the future, other Sovereign class ships will be refitted with the drive."  
  
"Shar'tan, Klingon News, When will we see this drive in action?"  
  
"The Enterprise refit should be completed tomorrow, Voyager will take another week to work out all the bugs on a new ship. Both ships are schedule for a test launch in 8 days. I have no information on when the Klingons or the Romulans plan to test the drive."  
  
"Plotek, Romulan Star News, who will command the Voyager-A?"  
  
"I will assume command of the Voyager-A with Captain Chakotay acting as my first officer. A large number of Voyager's former crew has signed on to her." Suddenly her com badge chirped, "Admiral Paris to Admiral Janeway, I need you to return to Starfleet Command immediately, this is a priority one message. Paris out."  
  
"I'm sorry I have to cut this short ladies and gentlemen, but duty calls. Let me introduce Dr. Sela Remor of Romulus, the architect behind the Mark- II drive. She can answer any questions you have about the drive itself."  
  
Janeway knew that this wasn't a social call as soon as she entered the office. Waiting inside were Klingon Ambassador Worf, and Ambassador Plitan Jetal, a Romulan Ambassador. Admiral Paris entered the office and directed the three people in his office to the conference room were Admiral Hayes was waiting.  
  
"All right everyone" said Hayes, "this morning we downloaded the following message from the MIDAS array."  
  
The Admiral hit a button on his console and a strange voice filled the room.  
  
"This...Patel...USS...attack from...Cube. They...apted...armor... torpedoes. The...drive...offline...our shields. We...Malon sector, coor...zero...mark two."  
  
"Which ship did this come from?" Asked Janeway.  
  
"The USS Venture, an Akira class ship under the command of Joanne Patel, she was under orders to head to Malon Prime, we have been unable to raise her since receiving this message."  
  
"Cube? As in Borg Cube?" asked Paris.  
  
"That's what we are assuming."  
  
"I thought it was concluded that Voyager destroyed the Borg Collective. We haven't spotted as much as a sphere in the last 10 years," said Jetal.  
  
"We need to get a ship out there. Admiral, what is the closest ship to the Malon Sector?"  
  
"The IKS Gret'Pa is twenty days away," replied Hayes.  
  
"We don't have that kind of time. Admiral Janeway, is Voyager-A ready for its first mission?" asked Paris.  
  
"Honestly Admiral, no, particularly if we have to go up against the Borg, but the Enterprise will be ready to go tomorrow. She can get to the Malon sector in four days."  
  
"All right Admiral, you and Seven of Nine will accompany the Enterprise-E."  
  
"I will have to contact my government, they will want to send someone along," commented Worf. "As will mine," added Jetal.  
  
"All right everyone, until we have more answers keep a lid on this, dismissed."  
  
"You're leaving?" asked Chakotay with look of a wounded animal on his face.  
  
"I'm so sorry Chakotay, but you know I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't absolutely critical."  
  
"Can you at least tell me why Starfleet is tearing you away from me?"  
  
"You know I can't."  
  
"Humph. I can't wait until I make Admiral, then you won't be able to keep any secrets from me. Is this a dangerous mission?"  
  
"No more dangerous than any day in the Delta Quadrant."  
  
"That doesn't make me feel any better. When exactly are you going on this all important mission?"  
  
"Tomorrow at 1200."  
  
"Then we still have one night together," said Chakotay as he drew Kathryn closer to her.  
  
"Yes...mmmm...one night, "Kathryn mumbles as Chakotay starts on her neck, "one night...right after I go see Jean-Luc Picard," she suddenly pulled away from him.  
  
"Ugh! You love to leave me hanging, don't you? Jean-Luc Picard, you would choose that geezer over me? Kathryn, the man doesn't even have any hair."  
  
"I'll be back soon, I promise. I have to give the good captain his orders, oh and captain."  
  
"Yes admiral?"  
  
"At ease, before you sprain something."  
  
"Geordi says that the last of the computer simulations should be done tonight. It looks the ship will be ready tomorrow," informed Commander Will Riker.  
  
"Thank you Number One, stay for dinner Will?"  
  
"I'm famished sir."  
  
"I hope you like Vegetable Casserole."  
  
"Captain, I'm curious, why is Starfleet holding off our test of the new drive for another week?"  
  
"Its all pomp and circumstance Will, they want the Flagship and Voyager to go off together. They'll generate more publicity that way."  
  
"I take it they think a drive that can take you to the other side of the galaxy and back in two weeks won't garner enough publicity by itself."  
  
"Just sit tight Will, we'll get underway soon enough. By the way, did you hear that Admiral Blackwell is retiring? We've all been invited to his retirement party tomorrow."  
  
"Blackwell, I didn't realize he was that old to begin with."  
  
"He is younger than me, Will."  
  
"Sir, how is it that at eighty years old, you are still going strong as captain of the flagship. Hell, I'll probably retire before you."  
  
"Will, do you remember the mission where the Enterprise-D was destroyed?"  
  
"How could I forget, I blew up half your ship and crashed the other half into a forest on a planet sporting a pre-warp society."  
  
"When I was on Viridian III, I was pulled into the Nexus along with Soran when he destroyed the Viridian sun..."  
  
"But he never destroyed the sun."  
  
"Let me finish Will."  
  
"In the Nexus, I met Captain Kirk, who was pulled in after saving the Enterprise-B. He gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. He told me to never let Starfleet promote me, never to let them transfer me, or never to leave, because while I'm in command of the Enterprise, I can still make a difference."  
  
"So in another words, I wont get a crack at the center chair anytime soon."  
  
"You can always transfer Will, one of those Voyager class ships puts the Sovereign class to shame."  
  
"Its tempting sir, but my home and my family are on the Enterprise."  
  
"In that case Number One, I guess you'll just have to wait for me to kick off."  
  
Captain Picard heard his door chime.  
  
"Enter," he called.  
  
In walked Admiral Janeway; at the sight of her both men began to rise.  
  
"At ease gentlemen, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."  
  
"No Kathryn, we were just having dinner, would you like to join us?" Asked Picard.  
  
"No thank you Jean-Luc, I don't have much time, I came here to give you your new mission orders."  
  
Kathryn walked over to the Captain's console and inserted a data chip and played the distress call for the two men.  
  
"We received this from the USS Venture this morning through the MIDAS array. We have been unable to reestablish contact with her."  
  
"Borg," Picard stated callously.  
  
"That's what we are assuming. The closest ship to the Venture's last known position is still two weeks away; Starfleet has decided to send the Enterprise to investigate. Myself, Seven of Nine, and a representative from both the Klingons and the Romulans will join the Enterprise for this mission."  
  
"When do we leave?" Asked Will.  
  
"Tomorrow at 1200, assuming everything is ready to go."  
  
"It will be," replied Picard.  
  
"That's good to hear, good evening gentlemen." Janeway turned to leave.  
  
"So much for Admiral Blackwell," added Riker. 


	3. Part 3

Captain Patel awoke to a searing pain in her head and arm. "So this is what it feels like to be assimilated," she thought. When she was finally able to open her eyes, she saw the battered bridge of her ship and a frizzling view screen that indicated that it was either damaged or they made into the nebula. Considering she didn't have any robotic implants sticking out of her, she tended to believe the later.  
  
"I've got to secure the ship," she thought. As she looked around, she saw other members of the bridge crew starting to stir. Patel crawled to the helm and saw Ensign Archer on the ground. She turned him around and frantically searched for a pulse, there was none. "Damnit! Report." Toval was the first to respond, "Slipstream is down, impulse is down, we do have emergency thrusters, weapons are down, shields are down, the main computer is offline, main power is down, emergency power has been diverted to life support and the containment fields, our comm system is down, sensors are down, hull breaches all decks, we have heavy casualties and fatalities."  
  
"Captain! Commander Drax is dead," said a shaken ensign who was trying to free Drax from the fallen beam.  
  
"We will have plenty of time to mourn our friends later ensign, right now we need to make sure we stay alive long enough to do so. Get down to engineering and tell Commander Nog that our priorities are main power, the comm system, and shields. After that, I want you to recruit runners on all decks and have them send status reports up to the bridge. I also want updates every thirty minutes."  
  
"Aye, Sir!" The ensign headed toward the bridge jeffries tube.  
  
Patel climbed into the helm chair and fired the thrusters. A moving target would be a lot harder to find in a nebula, "assuming the Borg are still looking for us," she thought.  
  
"Lieutenant Rotak and Ensign Toval head down to engineering. Commander, I hear that you have some medical training."  
  
"I was a cadet field medic during the Dominion War," answered Kotan.  
  
"It'll do, get down to sickbay."  
  
Patel and two ensigns, who were conducting repairs, were the only people left on the bridge. "Ensign Archer had such a bright future ahead of him. Commander Drax was eager to get his own command once we returned to the Alpha Quadrant. He had been an excellent first officer for the last two years. Lt. Persons was an officer who looked like a kid in a candy store the first time he laid eyes on the Astrometrics Lab. Yesterday, they were all laughing, getting ready for a trip to a beautiful planet. Now, they were all dead, killed by a menace that everyone had considered extinct. Who knows how many more of my 293 crew members I lost," thought Patel.  
  
"Eng...errin...to...ridge," crackled Patel's comm panel.  
  
"Engineering to Bridge," came the voice of Patel's Ferengi chief engineer.  
  
"Bridge here, report Mr. Nog," ordered Patel.  
  
"Captain, I've been able to reroute a back up comm system, we will have two way communications from engineering to the bridge. I will need twelve hours for the primary comm system. We are minutes away from getting main power and shields are not far behind. Our long-range sensors are fried; we will have only short-range sensors once we leave the nebula. If I had access to a star base, I might be able to repair the quantum drive. Even then, the slipstream drive wont do us any good until we get those hull breaches fixed, and we can't do that until we leave the nebula..."  
  
"Leaving us vulnerable to another attack."  
  
"Exactly. Weapons and impulse engines shouldn't be too much of a problem, but they are not a high priority right now."  
  
"Whets your personnel status commander?"  
  
"A couple of the casualties have come back on duty, but we suffered four severe injuries and one fatality, Ensign Lomar. Our manpower situation is stable for now."  
  
"Captain, look!" shouted an ensign pointing to the flickering view screen. Patel looked up to see the cube hovering over them.  
  
After two days at slipstream, Admiral Janeway was getting restless. "The fastest interstellar method of propulsion known to exist and its still too slow for me. How did I ever put up with warp?" Thought Janeway.  
  
Janeway's door chimed, "Enter," she called.  
  
In walked Dr. Remor, who was the Romulan representative for the mission.  
  
"Doctor, may I get you something to drink?"  
  
"No thank you Admiral."  
  
"I called you here because I noticed something interesting in your file, you are the daughter of the late Telok Remor, a former science officer in the Romulan military.  
  
Janeway noticed that Dr. Remor tensed at the mention of his name.  
  
"I'm curious, did your father ever mention Voyager to you?"  
  
"He died a few years before Voyager launched, surely your files contain that information."  
  
"Yes they do, but in our first year in the Delta Quadrant, we encountered a micro wormhole. We are able to send a hail through and we raised your father. The wormhole contained a temporal shift, while on our side it was 2371; on his side it was 2351. We were able to send a data chip to your father that contained letters to our families and asked him to deliver it to Starfleet in 2371. After we broke contact, my tactical officer informed me of Dr. Remor's death in 2367."  
  
"This is all fascinating admiral, but I do not see how this concerns me."  
  
"The data chip, I was hoping you knew what your father did with it."  
  
"I do not know Admiral, my father was a traitor to the Romulan Empire and I disowned him."  
  
"A traitor?"  
  
"Yes Admiral. In the Earth year 2364, he deserted his post in the Romulan military and his family to join Spock's reunification movement. He was found three years later and was ceremoniously executed. I see his treachery extended back to when I was just a little child. Our peoples maybe on friendly terms today, but we were not when my father was alive, he had no right to make the decision to conceal information about Voyager or the data chip."  
  
"Your father was protecting temporal integrity, if we knew that the wormhole lead into the past, we would of never contacted him in the first place."  
  
"Admiral, I have also read your personal file. It indicated that your father served Starfleet."  
  
"Yes, he was also an Admiral. He worked primarily on Federation - Cardassian relations."  
  
"Did you look up to him?"  
  
"Yes, he was my hero. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up."  
  
"Now imagine how you would feel if a Starfleet officer came to your home to tell you that your father had defected to the Cardassians."  
  
Janeway thought about this for a moment, "I can't," she said, "its unfathomable."  
  
"If you asked me that question twenty-five years ago, I would have said the same thing. My father's love of the sciences infected me as a little girl and I idolized him. I looked up to him as the perfect father and the perfect Romulan. When I was fifteen years old, a woman who identified herself as being with the Tal Shiar came to our home to inform us of our father's desertion. She interrogated my mother, my younger brother, and myself for three days. He abandoned his duty, his family, and he threw us to the wolves. When they finally found him three years later, we were all given a chance to speak to him, my mother and brother refused, but I had to know why. You know what he said, he said he was truly sorry that he had to hurt us, but it was his duty to his family to assist in the creation of a better Romulus."  
  
"My husband believes that people should consider intentions equally with actions when passing judgment. I can't condone your fathers actions, but his intentions were noble."  
  
"Your husband had noble intentions when he defected to the Maquis, to protect his home and avenge the death of his family. My father was spewing propaganda fed to him by the Vulcans. I'm sorry I can't help you Admiral, but I have no father."  
  
"I'm sorry doctor, thank you for your time."  
  
Captains Log, Stardate 64304  
  
We have been playing cat and mouse with the cube for the last four days. While we have avoided any contact, the Borg are draining our resources and moral is low. Commander Nog has restored our primary systems, but our slipstream drive is a lost cause. The doctor has informed me of the final casualties reports from the attack. Overall, we suffered hundreds of casualties and twelve fatalities.  
  
"Engineering to bridge."  
  
"Patel here."  
  
"Captain, we think we found a way to track the cube. Since conventional sensors are useless in a mutura class nebula, we had to come up with an entire new approach. Early Ferengi businessmen were able to estimate a metals quality and composition by throwing a stone against it and listening to the pitch it reverberated. Using that idea, we could modify the main deflector to emit sonic pulses that will be reverted back to the ship at a certain frequency when they hit a tritanium alloy."  
  
"Will the Borg be able to trace the pulses back to our ship?"  
  
"I'm not sure captain, but this technology may be too archaic for them to notice."  
  
"Right now, I'll take any advantage we can get. How soon will you have this ready?"  
  
"We're ready now captain."  
  
"All right Commander, start sending out the pulses." 


	4. Part 4

"We are approaching the last known coordinates of the Venture," stated Lt. Commander Data.  
  
"Ensign, take us out of slipstream. Mr. Data begin long range scans. Number One, have our guests escorted to the bridge," ordered Captain Picard.  
  
The turbolift doors opened to reveal Admiral Janeway followed by Seven of Nine, Dr. Remor, and Ambassador Worf.  
  
"I am picking up debris, not enough to be a ship. I am unable to identify them."  
  
"Beam a piece to engineering for analysis."  
  
"La Forge to bridge, Captain, this fragment defiantly came from the ships ablative armor, although I've never seen a section of armor blasted off like this."  
  
"So, where is the rest of the ship?" asked Dr. Remor.  
  
"It is probable that the Borg assimilated it," stated Seven.  
  
"I am reading a mutura class nebula 3 billion kilometers off our port quarter. The Venture would be invisible to our sensors if it took refuge in there."  
  
"So would the Borg," warned Commander Riker.  
  
"It is unlikely that the Borg would remain this long to assimilate one ship," said Seven.  
  
"Ensign, set a course for the nebula, full impulse. Engage."  
  
The Enterprise entered the nebula a few moments later.  
  
"Captain, the ship is being bombarded with some kind of low frequency disturbance. I'm having trouble identifying the source, but I believe they are sound waves. A metura class nebula does not produce this kind of phenomenon."  
  
"Then if must be a ship," interjected Janeway.  
  
"This ship must be using sonar to scan the nebula," concluded Picard.  
  
"Sonar?" Questioned Riker.  
  
"A method of detecting objects through the use of sound signals and detecting their returning echoes. It was invented during World War I by the British, Americans, and French and was used to locate..."  
  
"Thank you, Data," interrupted Picard.  
  
"I thought sound couldn't travel in space," stated Riker.  
  
"Sound can't travel in a vacuum, but it can in a dense nebula," corrected Janeway.  
  
"Crude, but efficient. The wave must come from the Venture. The Borg would never use such a 'limited' method of scanning."  
  
"Mr. Data, can we trace the waves back to their point of origin?"  
  
"No sir, but we can send out our own sound waves by reconfiguring the deflector to send out sonic pulses."  
  
"Ensign Toval, what are those pulses telling you?" Questioned Patel.  
  
"I'm reading two tritanium signatures in the nebula. They both appear to be in moving in search patterns."  
  
"Two cubes?"  
  
"Captain, we are being hit by sound waves. The Borg must be using the same method of detection as we are," said Lt. Roka.  
  
"I do not believe so Lieutenant, the waves are emanating from one of the two ships in the nebula. If it were the Borg, logically both ships would be flooding the nebula with pulses."  
  
"Can you tell which ship the pulses are coming from." asked the Captain.  
  
"I cannot be sure."  
  
"So we have two ships, one is Borg, the other is a wild card and we have no way to tell which is which, what does your logic tell you about this one ensign?"  
  
"I would suggest holding our position, the 'wild card' will notice that our ship is not moving and will investigate."  
  
"Giving us a look at what we're up against," finished Commander Kotan.  
  
"All stop. Keep a finger on that button Lieutenant, we don't know when we might have to make a quick exit," said Patel to Ensign Archer's replacement at the helm.  
  
"Aye Captain, answering all stop."  
  
"Its working, one of the ships has adjusted course and is heading strait for us."  
  
"How long until they are in hailing range?"  
  
"They have to get within a hundred kilometers, so about half a minute at their current speed."  
  
"We are being hailed."  
  
"Lets have it Commander."  
  
Everyone on the Bridge was shocked for the second time in a week when the view screen flickered on to reveal Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the bridge of the Enterprise.  
  
"Captain Patel, its good to see you."  
  
"Likewise Captain, how did you get out here so fast, last I heard the Enterprise was back in the Alpha Quadrant undergoing a refit."  
  
"That refit was to install a new quantum drive, one that got us here in four days."  
  
Patel got another surprise when she looked up to see Admiral Kathryn Janeway standing on the Enterprise bridge.  
  
"Forty thousand light years in four days, that's one hell of a new drive!" Exclaimed Commander Kotan.  
  
"Captain, what happened?" asked Picard paying no attention to Kotan.  
  
"Five days ago a Borg Cube came out of nowhere and tried to assimilate us. They were adapted to the ablative armor and the transphasic torpedoes did not do any damage. We were severely damaged before we got to this nebula. We have repaired all of our primary systems except the slipstream. My engineer tells me that it is not salvageable. We have been playing hide and seek with the cube for the last five days," reported Patel.  
  
"The other Tritanium signature," concluded Picard. "I guess we should be thankful we didn't run in to them ourselves."  
  
"It is inefficient to use this many resources to assimilate one ship," stated Seven of Nine.  
  
"Captain, if your drive is completely destroyed, I see only one choice. We will evacuate your crew to the Enterprise and destroy the Venture," ordered Janeway.  
  
Patel grimaced, "I can't say I like that idea, but I understand. We will begin evacuation procedures, Patel out."  
  
"Number One, inform Doctor Crusher of possible casualties and find beds for our guests. Have security standing by in the shuttle bay to escort the Venture crew to Cargo Bay One. Mr. Data, download the Venture's sensor logs from their fight with the Borg," ordered Picard.  
  
Two hours later the Venture's crew and supplies were on board the Enterprise. Captain Patel went up to the bride.  
  
"Captain, welcome to the bridge."  
  
"Thank you Captain."  
  
"Mr. Data, open a channel to the Venture's computer."  
  
"Channel open."  
  
"Computer, this Captain Joanne Patel, initiate self destruct, authorization Patel Ro Gamma One Three. Set destruct for three minutes."  
  
"Authorization confirmed, ship will self destruct in two minutes and fifty six seconds."  
  
Janeway felt nothing but sympathy for Captain Patel. She remembered giving the order a few times on Voyager, but she was lucky to always cancel it. There would be no luck for Captain Patel today.  
  
"Ensign, take us out of the nebula, full impulse. Engage."  
  
"Considering that shields are useless in the nebula, the quantum matrix breach will do serious damage to that cube," stated Riker.  
  
"Captain! The Cube is following us!" exclaimed the young ensign.  
  
"Full impulse ensign. Mr. Data, how are they tracking us?" Asked Picard.  
  
"Unknown, but they will intercept us in nine seconds."  
  
The ship rocked as it came to a sudden stop.  
  
"Sir, they have engaged a tractor beam," said Ambassador Worf taking over tactical for an injured crewman.  
  
"Captain, if we're in the Nebula when The Venture blows..."  
  
"I know Number One, Mr. Data, can we get a weapons lock on the cube?"  
  
"I can hit the cube, but without targeting scanners, I cannot lock on to the tractor emitter itself. I would not recommend firing torpedoes when we are this close to the hull."  
  
"Bridge to La Forge, Geordi, send a surge of anti-matter through the tractor beam," ordered Riker.  
  
"Sending the surge. Commander, it had no effect."  
  
"One minute, thirty seconds to the Venture's matrix breach."  
  
"Options?"  
  
"I could manually pilot a shuttle craft into the beam emitter," offered Riker.  
  
"I would not recommend it sir, without shields the quantum breach from the shuttle would severely damage the Enterprise."  
  
"Captain, if we jettison the section that the Borg have locked their tractor beam on, it will give us a few seconds to get out of this nebula," suggested Jetal.  
  
"It will work even better if we load the section with torpedoes. Since the torpedoes would detonate inside the hull, the Enterprise would not sustain residual damage," added Worf.  
  
"Counselor Troi, have that section evacuated, you have one minute until we jettison it."  
  
"Aye Captain," said Troi as she headed for the turbo lift.  
  
"Mr. Worf, transport three torpedoes to deck 4, section 32, bulkheads 4, 7, and 9," ordered Data.  
  
On deck four the scene was frantic. The Borg had locked their tractor beam directly on a large section of crew quarters. People were rushing out of there quarters grabbing whatever personal memento they could save before they were destroyed.  
  
"Everyone, just get out of here, don't stop until your outside section 32."  
  
"Riker to Troi, you have twenty five seconds."  
  
"Computer, who is left on deck four, section thirty-two?"  
  
"Commander Troi. Jean-Luc Riker."  
  
"Riker to Troi, Deanna get out of there!."  
  
"Will, I can't leave yet, Jean-Luc is still here somewhere."  
  
"Computer, locate Jean-Luc Riker."  
  
"Jean-Luc Riker is in his quarters."  
  
Deanna rushed to her quarters to get her son off the deck before it was too late. She opened the door to her quarters to find young Jean-Luc huddle on the ground near the couch, clearly frightened out of his mind.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
"Common Jean-Luc we have to leave now. Run!" she screamed.  
  
"Riker to Troi, ten seconds!"  
  
"We're on our way Will."  
  
They both ran as fast they could down the corridor, Bulkhead twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, section 31. Just as Deanna passed the finish line, a containment field came up separating her from Jean-Luc, who was just on the other side.  
  
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!" screamed a hysterical Troi.  
  
The bulkheads under Jean-Luc's feet began to rattle, "Mommy? What's happening?" Just then, the entire section jettisoned out of the hull.  
  
Deanna watched her son hurtling toward the cube. She was doubled over and sobbing hysterically.  
  
"Riker to Troi. Riker to Troi. Riker to Troi, please respond."  
  
A crewman took Deanna's combadge, "Commander, your wife is fine, but I'm sorry to say...your son didn't make it off the section when the field came up."  
  
"What!" screamed Will, "Data can you beam him out of there?"  
  
"I am sorry Commander, I cannot lock on to his signal."  
  
Without another word, Will rushed into the turbolift.  
  
""We're free of the tractor beam," reported Data. "The section is approaching the cube, four seconds until the cube pulls the section inside its hull. Fourteen seconds until the Venture's matrix blows," reported Worf.  
  
"Enisgn, Full impulse. Engage."  
  
A large, circular door on the cube opened and three smaller beams pulled the large section of hull inside.  
  
"Mr. Worf, now!" ordered Picard.  
  
Worf sent the remote command to the torpedoes. The Enterprise was pulling away from the cube when their rear view screens showed the cube explode into a million pieces with young Jean-Luc inside.  
  
"We have left the Nebula," stated the ensign at the helm.  
  
Ensign take us back to the alpha quadrant, engage!" ordered Picard.  
  
"Thank you for your assistance captain, but if you would excuse me, I would like to go speak to my officers."  
  
"By all means."  
  
Just as Patel was about to enter the turbolift, she heard Data, "Captain, I am reading multiple ships in the vicinity, but I can't identify who they are. They seem to be employing a jamming signal"  
  
"Let me see," barked Patel. "Captain, these were the same readings we got on the Venture just before the Borg ambushed us."  
  
"How many ships, Mr Data?"  
  
"Three...twelve...twenty-seven...one hundred and five...nine hundred...five thousand four hundred and seventy two." said Data.  
  
"The Borg do not travel in large armadas, it is inefficient." said Seven.  
  
"Captain, the ships are pursuing, but not as quickly as they could," said Data.  
  
"What do you mean Commander," asked Picard.  
  
"Borg transwarp is known to be as fast as this slipstream drive, but they are traveling only at a fraction of our speed. Their heading indicates that they are on a direct course for the Alpha Quadrant and more specifically, Earth."  
  
The bridge went silent as the realization of what Commander Data was saying hit home.  
  
"Five thousand cubes? How long will it take them to reach Earth?" asked a perplexed Picard.  
  
"At current speeds, thirty four days."  
  
To Be Continued......... 


	5. Chapter 2 Preview

Chapter 2 Preview:  
  
"In a little over a month, there are going to be over five thousand cubes sitting on our doorstep", said Janeway.  
  
"How do we stop them?" asked Admiral Paris.  
  
"We can't" replied Janeway.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Will, I know this is a tough time and I understand....." Calmy stated Picard.  
  
"You murdered him Captain, it is simple as that. You murdered my son!"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"This is my fault Chakotay. If I never listened to HER the Alpha Quadrant wouldn't be in this position today."  
  
"You can't blame yourself too much Kathryn, after all, you can be very convincing."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Their strategy is inefficient, I do not understand these Borg."  
  
"These Borg?"  
  
"It is as if they are being driven by emotion."  
  
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"Admiral, we have multiple Transwarp conduits opening in Sector 001!"  
  
"All ships, fire at will." 


End file.
